Pages

Loay: Clarin Ancestral House

Photo: bohol.gov.ph

Photo: flickr user Reynald Nunez

Photo: Digital Photographer

The Clarin Ancestral House in Loay town is the most visited of all ancestral houses in Bohol. Declared a heritage site by the National Historical Institute, the centuries old Clarin Ancestral House is now a museum housing family collections that dates back to the American period.

The Clarin Ancestral House is the residence of Don Aniceto Velez Clarin, a former governor of Bohol. His son, Jose Aniceto Butalid Clarin became the first senator of the 11th district.

The 11th Senatorial District was composed of the provinces of Bohol, Misamis, and Surigao under the Jones Law passed by the U.S. Congress. Since Bohol was the most populated at that time, Jose Aniceto B. Clarin won the seat.

The Clarin Ancestral House dates back to 1840. Traditional Filipino-Spanish in design with long slanting roofs covered with nipa leaves, it is a typical one big square house with a coral stone foundation, rough-hewn wooden posts, wooden walls and floors of wide hardwood planks and a receiving hall with a high vaulted ceiling. Although the ceiling beams are in urgent need of repair being damaged by termites, the whole house is relatively in good condition.

Getting there

The Clarin Ancestral House is located in the town of Loay, about 18 kilometers from Tagbilaran City. From Tagbilaran, the house lies on the left-hand side and only a few steps away from the corner of Bohol's circumferential road.